How cold is it? It's so cold ...

So, isn't all this talk of global warming a little silly when the weather outside our own door is this freezing cold?

Well, we have to look at the big picture, and according to the latest report on warming from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), extreme temperatures, be they cold or hot, can be expected to become commonplace in such an era as this one.

But cold spells like this one will likely become rare in the years to come. Indeed, as cold as it is this week, these low temperatures aren't anywhere near the record lows for the date.

Just how cold is it? Well, it's so cold that we saw a pickpocket sticking his hands in a stranger's pockets just to keep them warm. Ba-dump-bump. But anyway ....

The temperature dropped down to 8 at Central Park Monday, and climbed only to 18, marking the day as the coldest in New York City since Jan. 28, 2005 (when the temperature dropped to 5).

Here on Staten Island we had the same readings Monday --- 18 and 8. It remains to be seen as of this writing how far the thermometer will drop Tuesday morning, but it could challenge that 8-degree mark. However, things will warm up just a bit today (to a projected high of 24, still 15 degrees below normal), and by Tuesday night the cruel winds are expected to diminish.

Finally, we finish off with a photo of a place where it's summer right now --- Australia. This is actually a beautiful photo. Check out the reflected light from the fireworks, the lightning off to the right, and Comet McNaught in the center of the photo. What a moment.